HC Deb 06 July 1992 vol 211 cc35-6W
Mrs. Golding

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many hours of special training are given to staff who deal with sex offenders;

(2) how many prison staff have special training in the treatment of sex offenders.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

The sex offender treatment programmes currently being run in a number of prisons in England and Wales are run by multi-disciplinary teams. These include professionally qualified psychologists and probation staff and also prison officers and other grades. all of whom have considerable experience of working with prisoners, and many of whom have counselling and other relevant skills.

In addition, last autumn, three weeks specialist training was provided to 84 staff involved in running the pilot core programmes, and a further week's training was provided to 29 prison psychologists who are supporting the programme. Further courses are being run in the current financial year.

Mrs. Golding

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are in prison convicted of child sexual abuse.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

Information about the age of victims of imprisoned sexual offenders is not recorded centrally. About 200 inmates of Prison Service establishments in England and Wales on 31 March 1992 were serving sentences for unlawful sexual intercourse with a female under 16 years of age or gross indecency with or indecent assault on a child. Other inmates will, however, be serving sentences for rape, buggery and other sexual offences, and for murder, involving a sexual assault, where the victim was a child.

Mrs. Golding

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners convicted of child sexual abuse are receiving treatment to help them not to reoffend.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

At 1 July 1992, a total of 171 prisoners had taken part in the pilot core programmes, introduced at the end of last year by the Prison Service to address offending behaviour. Of these, 122 had been convicted of sexual offences against children.

Mrs. Golding

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many prisons there are schemes for the special treatment of sex offenders.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

Structured treatment programmes for sex offenders are currently being run at 14 prisons and one young offender institution.

Mrs. Golding

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans there are to monitor the effect of the special treatment of sex offenders.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

The Home Office is currently funding an independent research study by a team of criminologists and clinical psychologists of a number of community-based treatment programmes for sex offenders. The study is addressing the content of treatment programmes and how they are delivered; the short-term impact on attitudes to offending and behaviour, and the longer term impact on re-offending. Similar arrangements will be made independently to evaluate the treatment programmes currently being run in prisons in England and Wales, following completion of the initial pilots.